The present invention relates to trash receptacles in general, and more particularly to improvements in outdoor or indoor trash receptacles. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in outdoor or indoor trash receptacles which can be used as advertising media by authorities and/or private parties.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,424,520 to Richardson et al. discloses a combined outdoor trash receptacle and advertising carrier which comprises a ground-supported prismatic skeleton frame made of angle iron bars and panels which are connected to the frame by screws or the like so as to constitute the four upright side walls of the outer housing for a removable trash basket which is made in part of wire mesh with large interstices. The bottom part of the basket is free of interstices and the basket diverges conically toward a cover which is pivoted to an upper horizontal bar of the skeleton frame. The basket is supported by and is freely liftable off four brackets which are secured to the frame and extend into the interior of the space between the panels. The cover resembles the frustum of a pyramid and is provided with three pivotable flaps which enable the passers-by to drop refuse into the basket without lifting the cover. The outer sides the panels carry advertising matter which is exposed to elements and is therefore damaged, contaminated or destroyed immediately or within relatively short intervals of time. Moreover, such panels are inviting targets to vandals for the application of graffiti or disfiguration of the advertising material. The panels are equally likely to be contaminated at their inner sides since the upper part of the basket permits certain types of trash to pass through the relatively large interstices and to come into direct contact with the panels so that their removal for the purpose of replacing advertising matter at the outer sides is an unpleasant task. The basket is relatively large so that portions thereof are immediatelyor closely adjacent to the inner sides of the panels. Refuse which is introduced through the openings in the coveris likely to drop between the basket and the panels so that some trash remains in the outer housing when a sanitation crew opens the cover and transfers the contents of the basket into a garbage truck.
German printed publication No. 1,966,506 discloses an elongated open receptacle of rectangular cross section which is suspended on a rectangular frame for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis. The open top of the receptacle is overlapped by a roof-shaped cover which is pivotable back and forth about a horizontal axis so that refuse can be dropped into the receptacle by pivoting the cover to either side of its neutral position. The exposed front and rear sides of the receptacle carry advertising matter which is overlapped by sheets of penetration-resistant transparent or translucent synthetic plastic sheet material. A drawback of the just described receptacle is that it can be readily detached from the frame, e.g., by playful children. Furthermore, the mounting of the receptacle is such that only two of its sides can carry advertising matter. Still further, there is no provision to prevent penetration of moisture, dust and/or foreign matter between the plastic sheets and the advertising matter therebehind so that the appearance of the advertisements is unseemly after a relatively short period of exposure to elements.
It is further known to secure a parallelepiped trash receptacle to an upright support by resorting to screws or the like, to fixedly mount the support in the ground, and to apply sheets of advertising material to the external surfaces of the receptacle. The advertising material may contain fluorescent substances. A drawback of such receptacles, which normally consist of metal, is that they are heavy and bulky and therefore difficult to handle during removal of accumulated refuse. Moreover, the externally applied advertising matter is not protected against atmospheric conditions so that its useful life is extremely short. Still further, the distance from which the advertising matter can be seen at night is minimal, even if the advertising matter contains fluorescent substances. Therefore, a negligent pedestrian is more likely to drop refuse on the street, on the sidewalk, into the entrances of buildings and/or into recesses below display windows to thus contribute to seedy appearance of the town.
U.S. Pat. No. 979,605 discloses a rotary advertising medium wherein a support for advertising matter rotates about one or more lamps. The support consists of light-transmitting material and is surrounded by a stationary housing whose material also transmits light. A drawback of such medium is that it serves no other purpose but to carry posters or other advertising matter and that its bulk is considerable. The major part of the interior of the stationary housing is not used at all.